Indigenous people

Introduction

The Indigenous people of Australia have had a controversial place throughout Australian history, with the period around World War I being no exception. Although it could have been thought that no Aboriginal people went to fight in World War I owing to their reticence to support the British with whom they have had a long-standing history of violent conflict, this was not the case. Despite the conflict with the British and the prohibition from the government for them to enlist, a number of Aboriginal people showed their patriotism by fighting overseas for Australia.

Historical context

Since European settlement of Australia in 1788, Indigenous Australians have been a racial minority in society and have been the victims of cultural conflict. Cultural misunderstandings by certain white Australian groups played a role in the belief that Aboriginal people were inferior to the white settlers and that their culture was primitive and, consequently, inferior to that of the British settlers. An example of this is how the Aboriginal people had a deep reverence for the land, believing it could not be owned by a single person but had to be looked after by all. On the other hand, when the British settlers saw that the land had no fences, which to them denoted ownership, they automatically claimed it for themselves to be used for farming purposes which they believed would utilise the land to its full potential. This resulted in the British justification of the dispossession of many Aboriginal people from their traditional lands. Further problems arose with the Aboriginal belief that it was only fair that the Europeans share their agricultural produce if the Aboriginal people were to share their land and water. To the British, who did not know of the reciprocal beliefs of the Indigenous Australians, this was stealing and therefore punishable. See image 1

Violent conflict broke out between the Aboriginal peoples and the European settlers, resulting in the decline in the numbers of Indigenous Australians. Their lack of immunity against diseases introduced into the country by the British was also a contributing factor.

Gradually government policy began to acknowledge the Aboriginal people, although misinterpretation of their culture still meant that governmental policies hindered them more than it assisted them. Legislation placed them in government reserves or church missions, which removed them from the lifestyle they were accustomed to and in which they could look after themselves. It was often thought that they were better off in these reserves where they received handouts of food. What the government failed to realise was that Aboriginal people had been living off the land for tens of thousands of years prior to settlement. Furthermore, life on these reserves resembled that of a prison camp, in that they were unable to leave without permission, they were punished for drinking and gambling, they were unable to own land, and they were banned from traditional activities. See image 2

Indigenous Australians and World War I

At the time of the World War I, British-Australians still believed themselves to be superior to the Indigenous people of Australia. This was reflected when the Constitution of Australia was established only 13 years earlier, in 1901. The Constitution excluded Aboriginal people by not regarding them as Australian citizens. In addition, not all Aboriginal people were given the right to vote at federal elections, with those in Queensland and Western Australia being denied at a state level.

In 1909, the Defence Act 1909 (Cth) prevented those who were not of 'substantially European descent' from being able to enlist in any of the armed forces. Despite the legislation restricting them from enlisting, or their long history of being persecuted by the British, many Aboriginal people still wanted to support Australia by being involved in the war. Around 300 to 400 Indigenous Australians from every State were said to have enlisted and fought in World War I for Australia and the British Empire. Although this may not seem to be a large contribution on behalf of the Aboriginal population, when 416 809 Australians in total enlisted for service in World War I, Australia's Aboriginal population was estimated to be only 80 000.

It could be assumed that most of the Aboriginal people wanted to be involved in the war for the same kinds of reasons that the British-Australians did. They were swept up in the excitement of war and the belief that it would be their chance to see the world and to get paid for it. Although many disliked the British because of their violent history, many Aboriginal people felt strongly patriotic and loyal to Australia believing that it was their nation also.

During the war, amongst those who were serving Australia and the Empire, the division of colour which sharply divided the British-Australians and the Aboriginal people in their civilian lives became non-existent. No longer were negative stereotypes attributed to the Indigenous Australians, the young Australian men simply saw them as being no different from themselves and treated them accordingly. The lived, fought and died beside each other, never once thinking one was superior to another. See image 3

The aftermath

Unfortunately, this mentality did not spread through Australia while the soldiers were away. Aboriginal soldiers who had fought and survived overseas received none of the accolades that their British-Australian counterparts did. Often they were ignored or shunned by the white Australian community when they returned home. The Commonwealth government supported public opinion by insisting on legislation which ensured that even the Aboriginal soldiers who served in the war were not entitled to the same rights as the white population. As a result, Aboriginal servicemen were not permitted to have a beer along with the other returned servicemen. To further add to their frustration, the Aboriginal soldiers who went to war were not allowed to apply for the Returned Servicemen's Settlement Scheme. The aim of this scheme was to give parts of the land for agricultural development to those who had fought in the war as compensation for their sacrifices. The majority of Aboriginal ex-servicemen were denied this right to be granted an allotment. This scheme also affected the Aboriginal population who did not go to war, because the fertile land which was being given to the Soldier Settlement Scheme had previously been Aboriginal Reserve Land. This meant that many Aboriginal people were forced to leave the land which they had lived off for decades. They had no place to go and were left without any money.

It is obvious that there were many negatives surrounding the relationship between the Aboriginal people and the British around World War I. Aboriginal involvement in the war is important, not only to modern Aboriginal history but also to Australian history. It is important to know that Aboriginal people were there on the battlefield willing to sacrifice themselves for their nation at the time when Australia's national character was said to have been established. See animation

The involvement of Aboriginal Australians in World War I was also significant because it set the precedent for World War II in which it is thought that 3000 Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders served. It was on the fronts of World War II that the division between white Australians and Indigenous Australians continued to dissipate.